21st Century Innovations: Librarians, Trend-Watching, and the Warning Signs of Fads

Abstract

With each significant new trend in higher education, librarians immediately consider how to effectively update the delivery of outreach, services, and course instruction. For example, artificial intelligence and geographic information systems are exciting opportunities for librarians to embrace a fresh approach to connect learners and faculty with innovative services and support. But as librarians engage in trend-watching, do they need to concern themselves with fads? Are there warning signs that can be watched before committing to or while engaged with a trend? This practice article shares library level experiences with the trend on MOOCs at Penn State University and experiences at other institutions engaged with Makerspaces and Virtual and Augmented Reality to explore teaching and technology trends and to analyze their impact on the broad educational landscape.